Brazi Bites, pioneer of Latin-inspired, better-for-you, naturally gluten-free foods, today announced the launch of the second year of its Latino Entrepreneur Accelerator Program ahead of Latin Heritage Month. Following the success of 2022’s inaugural Program, Co-Founder and CMO, Junea Rocha, is making this year’s Program even bigger, giving entrepreneurs a chance to win a $10,000 business grant, a 12-week-long mentorship, and aid of strategic partners across various business disciplines, including legal, public relations, creative, and more at a value of $66,500.
Over the past 15 years, Latinos have created companies faster than any other demographic in the U.S. However, Latino business owners still face several challenges that make it difficult to find success at the most critical time of their journey, including lack of access to capital, and struggles with securing corporate and government contracts (Graduate School of Stanford Business 2023). Based on the invaluable mentorship inaugural winner, Jessica Vicionte of La Porteña Foods, received during last year’s Program and the substantial interest from Latino businesses, Rocha is committed to doubling down this year on uplifting and supporting deserving entrepreneurs. By leveraging her relationships and experience, she hopes to connect them with the right partners for counsel and guidance.
“Over the last decade we have built a network of industry experts around us that has been a crucial part of building Brazi Bites,” said Rocha. “Access to credible and knowledgeable experts is often beyond the reach of early-stage entrepreneurs, yet they can offer invaluable insights in order to strategically and sustainably scale. I’m thrilled to offer this year’s Accelerator Program winner access to our incredible partners.”
“It has been a privilege working hand-in-hand with Junea and the Brazi Bites team as the inaugural Program winner,” said Vicionte. “With their guidance and mentorship La Porteña has made tremendous progress over the last few months to strategically scale, including gaining distribution in several new retailers, bringing on a new distributor partner, and securing a meeting with a national retailer. The Program pushed me to work through some important questions, and I’m very grateful for the opportunity.”
Accepting applications from September 15 through October 27, this year’s Latino Entrepreneur Accelerator Program winner will receive:
- $10,000 business grant
- 12-week tailored mentorship with Rocha and her team, which includes one-on-one coaching, workshops, alignment on business objectives and more
- Public relations and influencer support from Rachel Kay Public Relations, A FINN Partners Company, totaling $25,000
- Digital marketing and content creation support from SRW, totaling $25,000
- R&D support from Culinex, totaling $10,000
- Branding consultation from Hughes Brand Mix, totaling $5,000
- Legal counsel from DWT, totaling $1,500
Three finalists will also be awarded a profile feature on Brazi Bites’ website, alongside social, email, and press exposure. The winner and finalists will be announced in January 2024, with the grant disbursement and mentorship to follow in February 2024.
For more information on the Program and how to apply, please visit www.brazibites.com/leap.